Monday, February 27, 2012

Mend It Better - A New Storey Book and a Giveaway!

Last spring, I was asked by the Storey Publishing's Art Director Alethea Morrison if I would illustrate a new book they were working on. (See a sneak peek of Alethea's beautiful home here on Design*Sponge.) The deadline was tight but I jumped at the chance. This is the fifth book I have illustrated but only the second that I did not also author. It was totally pleasurable to be hands-off the content, working as an on-looker, reading copy of what I was to illustrate. I was provided with reference photos from the author, another "Kristin" - this one named Kristin Roach, the author of the popular website CraftLeftovers.com.

I loved doing this work, sticking to a plan that was devised by someone else. I was nervous sending off the gouache illustrations - nervous that they wouldn't fit in with the project photos and all the copy and type that Storey was planning. But I sent it off and unlike worrying about a book launch of one of my own, I totally forgot about this project, once I was paid.

A few weeks ago, I got my copies of "Mend It Better" and it looks great. The book has a soft "stuffed" cover, a rather new trend in book presentation that seems right for a book about sewing. The Art Direction is beautiful and I am so honored that my how-to illustrations were included.

Here is the book opener spread - I love the vintage buttons on the left side and how the title type was actually made out of fabric scraps. Very clever. The fabric prints and colors really carry a nice vintage vibe.

Here is the Table of Contents filled with vintage threads, buttons and mending yarn. If you look closely, you can read all the tips and ideas that are included.

Here's one of my How-To Illustrations along with the mola inspired mending project. For my part of the project, I was instructed to "tone down" my normal color preferences and match the vintage feeling of the Art Direction of the book. Surprisingly, this wasn't hard for me to do. I understand color and appreciate it all - especially good design - so I was happy to help out with this project.

This is a great book for those of you who may be new to sewing. Lots of creative ideas and hand-holding tips if you have never sewn or mended. There's a bit of embroidery and crochet included too. If the only experience you have with sewing is middle school home ec, this book will sharpen your skills. Check out the author Kristin Roach's really nice website - CraftLeftovers.com.

I've got two copies for two of my lucky readers. Here's what you need to do to enter....

Answer this question in the comments: Do you mend? Are you a clothes tosser or do you repair? Did you repair clothing before the economic crisis hit or are you a relatively new fixer of stuff? You get the idea - leave your thoughts about clothing wearing out and what you do with it. I can't wait to hear your thoughts.

Make sure you leave an easy way to get a hold of you (email, Ravelry or blogger id).

I mean to mend more than I actually do. I'm working on keeping more clothes that I like so that means mending to make them last. I do think the economy has influenced me more to do this, although I used to sew all of my own clothes so I have no excuse.

It's nice to see mending come back into vogue. I hate to see so much waste. I do benefit from it when thrifting. Think I'll go find something to mend right now.

I sew on buttons, and I've darned a handknit sock that I couldn't bear to throw away. Anything more complicated and I have to ask my mother-in-law for help or go to an alterations person! This book might help me develop more skills, which I would welcome.

I am a collector of vintage clothing so mending is a must. I take my important pieces to a professional, but would love to learn how to creatively mend my favorite old jeans, sweaters, etc. Thank you so much for offering such a fun giveaway! :)

Mending is something I think we all have to do. If major, then it takes more than I can do. But I do try to keep up with the husby who is always out and about in the yarn, acreage, on the lawn tractor, the roof, under the cars, etc and knows not when somethings gets ripped or gouged, even when it is his bald head. And just cause the kids are grown and gone, they still know where to go for mended items.Thanks for the great opportunity.Rubymzcruse(at)gmail(dot)com

Whether or not I mend depends on the garment and the problem ... fixing a hem or sewing on new buttons - no problem. If something I love too much to say goodbye to needs major mending, I might try to find some way to mend it. Sometimes I salvage the fabric for small sewing projects. For example, I repurposed an old pair of linen pants into a sashiko project bag: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bluepeninsula/5437274864/

I do mend, having been taught to sew by my mother for whom frugality has always been a primary objective. But I've always tried to make the repair invisible. I love the idea of treating mending as an opportunity to embellish. And your illustrations look terrific!

I mend and have done so since I became old enough to make my own repairs without my mother's help. In our throwaway society, I'm one who prefers to reuse or recycle. One spot on a white top does not mean it's useless. Just embroider a pretty flower over the spot and it becomes a design element. Thanks for the giveaway. Looks like a cute book.

Hi Kristin, this book looks quiet pretty and it would be great to win it. My grandmother was a dressmaker and perhaps, quilting and sewing is in my blood. When I was a young girl, I sewed mini-skirts for myself, because as a teen, I had a low budget to buy the newest fashion ;-) At the time, I went to school, we learned crocheting, knitting and sewing from the first class and so crafting has always a part of my life. Today,german children don't learn anymore these things at school. I think, that's a pity, because being able to create something with our hands is also good for the developement of the brain...hope, I've chosen the right words!Martina

I'm a lifelong mender. I take pride in being able to fix a hole or a rip without anyone the wiser. If i had to replace the clothes my son rips, tears, or wears through, I wouldn't have $ leftover for knitting. ;-)

Growing up by the projects in NYC, Home Ec was a mythical class only heard of in books and movies - like Hogwarts. Mending has always been a part of my life, and even now I don't hesitate to talk price down if the garment has need of a simple repair.

I always used to put anything that needed mending in a bag and took it with me to my mother where I would sit and talk with her while she fixed everything up. Now that I have moved away, I am too far for those visits. My mending skills are usually limited to replacing a button or fixing a hole inside a pocket. Definitely nothing that will be seen.

I'm a mender. Have always mended, though I try to do it mostly with machine now since my hands don't cooperate as much. I especially don't like to get rid of old, comfy, clothes and wish I could mend shoes as well.

I am a fairly new mender - since becoming married 4 years ago, and then living on one income when our children started arriving.My first attempt was with a sewing machine on my husband's jeans. I ended up creating an internal pocket behind his knee! That was good for some laughs!I still need all the help I can get!

Congratulations - how wonderful to see yourself in 'illustration' rather than in print, so to speak! I know I can't enter, but 'Do I mend?' - not if I can help it! I have a few trusty pieces that I'd mend and patch forever, but most of my work clothes are cheap, cheerful and get recycled at the clothes bank.

Oh this looks fun! Yes, I mend, darn, camouflage, patch, alter, redo. I always have, but not everything: only the things that are treasured and/or mend-worthy. Most recently, I needle-felted a few small holes on a boiled wool coat. Your illustrations are lovely, Kristin.

I do love to mend and rip and sew and pick apart clothes. I remove all scratchy tags and mend the holes left behind. I haunt second hand shops for interesting fabric and love to pick apart the clothing I find there. I mend by hand and by machine. My old Pfaff has a great darning stitch I use on sheets. Congrats on the new book! - Jules in Beverly :)PS Socks are definitely NOT on the mending pile...

I do mend. In fact, my nine-year old niece was here recently and she asked me to mend a tear in her t-shirt -- while she was wearing it! I also alter clothing as a way of mending-- just turned a pullover sweater into a cardigan because it had a stain directly in the middle. Used grosgrain ribbon for the placket and problem solved.

This looks like a great book! Do I mend? When the kids were home I was always mending. With just the two adults there isn't a lot to mend. I fix buttons, hems, etc., but we don't seem to wear out our clothes - we outgrow them though!

Hi Kristin. I mend and always have. My Grandmother passed down this hand craft to me. I remember watching her darn socks, fix holes and rips. It intrigued me. And I felt so loved watching her. I would love to learn more techniques for mending my family's clothes and blankets and look forward to doing the same for my own grandchildren someday. I would thoroughly enjoy having a copy of this book in my hands. christina4tier@gmail.com

I'm not much of a mender although this book could make me change my mind. That said, around here we wear our clothes until they are in shreds. Then we give our wornout jeans to a charity that uses them to make woven rugs. I save our t-shirts hoping eventually to have enough to turn into strips to knit for a rag rug. I remove buttons and elastic to give to my kids for their projects. And what is still wearable goes to Goodwill. I hate to see any of it end up at the dump.

I've been sewing almost as long as I can remember. And more people seem to be sewing again - at least in my little circle of influence. I'd love to have this to share with those just starting out with needle and thread.

I mend my husband's clothes, tho socks and underwear go to the ragbag. My own closet tends to be rather minimal so I usually recycle rather than mend. By the time they're worn, it's time to update.sbsford(at)gmail(dot)com

~ What a great book ! ~ The colors are like fruit sorbet.I have always done clothes mending & recycling, most especially saving buttons too from old clothes.~ I recall making my own embroidered "patches" when I was 11, the ones at the craft store were far too expensive. I like felting sweaters to make new things. I have added embroidery to clothes to give them my own design. For myself I almost never buy new clothes, always Thrift Shops. I like to find XXL men's cotton shirts and make them into aprons. I work at a Waldorf School.Thank you for the chance for the loVely book, Kristin. Can't wait to see more of your drawings.Best,Shell ~

I am a mender! I started when my boys were very young (they are now out of college) and then branched off into re-purposing clothing as well. I like to make or purchase good quality clothing in the first place so mending them makes good sense and is very economically satisfying. Oh, and with woolens, I love to needle felt designs on them or over the hole to perk them up. Thanks for asking!

I definitely mend socks and other knitted clothing, and also simple things like hems and seams that can be done by hand--but I'm basically a mending nebbish! I really like the idea of mending actually improving the garment... Once I mended a big hole in a friend's sweater by crocheting a flower to cover it with. The book and illustrations look wonderful!

This book looks great for mending but also for creative decorating - maybe pillows! I mended clothing when my three children were young. I now have five young grandchildren and the mending need is back! I would love a copy of this book. Thank you for this opportunity.

It depends on the condition of the garment. My Mother taught me the basics, replace a button, fix a hole in a pocket, hem a pair of pants. The last skill is necessary when one is only 5'3". I have also found that in an effort to cut, costs buttons are loosely sewn on finished garments. I do draw the line at socks and throw those away even though I own a sock egg. I have yet to have to mend hand knit socks so I don't know what I will do when I get a holey one. This looks like a lovely book!

I do some mending, replacing buttons and sewing back a partially ripped-out zipper. I would say that much of what I do is alteration....making a dress or skirt longer, making a garment more narrow. I also do some re-purposing. I just made some wonderful mittens with a felted used sweater that I cut up and sewed into mittens, plus suede on the palms (for driving), and then knit on some cuffs.Paula (purlplessk on Ravelry)

I do mend. I have two kids so it comes in very handy. I love vintage and this book looks like a eye candy and will be much loved in my hands.Thanks for including me in drawing!!aishwarya.shenoy@gmail.com

Yes, I mend. My mom and grandma were big time menders so I guess it's in my blood. My mom even taught me to darn socks, but I don't do that anymore.

My own grown kids sometimes think that I should just toss some of my clothing, though. :) Sometimes instead of tossing I will save the buttons, and cut up the fabric for rags, or to make doll clothes, etc.

I was in 4-H for ten years, as a kid, so have always known how to sew and I love to make things. Repurposing things is pretty fulfilling.

I love mending. Sometimes it a challenge, bring it on! Sometimes it's just relaxing...an easy mend. I learned to sew around 10 or 11. I'm not a master seamstress, but I can get the job down. I don't think I mend any more or less since the economic situation changed at our house. I threw away a little "knit" t-shirt yesterday that had a three cornered hole near the bias tape. Since it was right in front, I didn't think mending was a great idea...it was a patterened t too.

I am a mender. I love giving a new life to old faithful clothes. Sometimes I wonder why I bother and a trip to a clothing store reminds me how much a replacement would cost or how cheap is the material or construction is in a great deal of clothing out there. This book would be lovely for my daughter who probably lacks the skills to mend despite my efforts to show her. I bet even I might pick up a new mending trick!gnlmutti (at gmail dot com)

I mend if it's simple (tacking up a hem, sewing on a button) or if it's something I can't replace easily (sewing up a slice in the sweatpants I wear when I ice skate). But if it's just a hole in an old t-shirt, or if the seams in the crotch of a pair of jeans have torn out, probably not.

It depends. I've frequently had my mom fix unfortunately-located holes in otherwise perfectly fine pants, and I've certainly sewn on buttons, and when I start wearing my hand-made socks, I'll certainly darn them. However, the sad fact is that the vast majority of clothing available to purchase these days is simply not worth saving. Just one of the reasons I have all this great ambition to make my own clothes. If that ever actually happens, I'll definitely mend those too.

If it's a favorite "something" I mend and mend and mend!!! (sometimes not too successfully!) If it's something that really has outworn its love, then it's gone; I'm trying to scale back clothes and while I'm not a Project 333 girl-----yet---I might get close someday

I'm a new minder. With three little boys in the house everything gets little holes in the knees, broken zippers (still clueless on them so go to velcro), strange shaped tears in clothes and the odd splash of paint that now needs something done to make it artwork rather then oops.Your books looks fabulous for this creativity fix.

First I have to admit, I do not sew buttons. Funny story, my hubby is a surgeon, I tell him "this is what you do for a living, your stitches stay in right? so sew your own button on..."I do re purpose some items, two examples:I stuffed my sons fav. denim jacket he had outgrown (toddler size) with pillow fluff (can you tell I am not pro?) and it became a throw pillow for his bed. No he did not think it creepy, I put the sleeves in the pockets w/o fluff.

Second, my mom passed away (sad) however she had a fav sweater, gift of one of her grandchildren. I set it aside; one day I found my cat napping on the sweater soooo, I took off the sleeves and buttons, closed it up, added a bit of fluff stuff and the grandcat is napping on the sweater. My mother would think this very funny/cute.

Already I love the crafty look of the book, inviting not threatening to us who are knitters not sewers...might be a good husband gift...LOL also have son in surgical field, hey, get creative!! just kidding. Your art work is the best.

That book looks really nice. Do I mend? Oh, yes! And I always have. My parents grew up in the Depression and we were taught to repair or maintain everything. I remember my grandmother teaching me to darn socks when I was in junior high. I still darn the toes of socks at least once before pitching them. I worked as an alterations tailor for years, too, so I alter my clothes. I did a bunch of altering and mending over the weekend, as a matter of fact. kgoodburne(at)yahoo(dot)com.

I've been mending since I was about six years old. It started with socks, remember darning? Followed by hems, buttons and simple seams, then on to real live patching. When clothes are worn out, they either go to the weaving or the quilt piles.Casey - ashefamily@yahoo.com

Fortunately, I'm no longer a little kid who's particularly hard on clothes. If it's good clothing, I have a tailor mend it. If it's just jeans or t-shirts, I keep them to wear while doing dirty jobs (gardening, painting) or use them as rags. However, I do need to know how to mend a practically new sheet - my puppy found it in the laundry basket and chewed a big hole in it. This book could really come in handy right now!

I do mend clothes quite a bit. When my three older daughters (now in college) were young, they lived in the small, medium, large world of clothes.

As one daughter grew out of something, I would mend holes, add in patch pockets or change a collar and then hand it down to the next daughter. For some mends, they got to chose how I changed the garment: patches on knees sewn with embroidery floss, bright fleece replacement pockets, butterfly embroideries covering holes, etc. They seemed to love it.

Youngest Child is a boy, however, and his mends mostly involve me cutting off the legs of outgrown jeans (to turn them into shorts) and then using the extra fabric to patch holes in his current jeans. Some day, he might care - right now, he just wants his pants back ASAP!

For myself - hemming pants, sewing skirts and replacing buttons have always been a handy way to enlarge my wardrobe. I've even cut off buttons on men's shirts to make them into crafts but - but that was entirely too much work away from my knitting!

I grew up knowing how to mend and still do. I am smart enough to know when to give something away and frugal enough to know how to keep something I love useable for a long, long time. And then there comes the sad day when I have to say goodbye, which is something I'm still not so good at. But I also enjoy the hunt for a replacement, so how can I lose? Thanks for this wonderful giveaway. Stoney Monte

I have always mended but usually am hung up by whether my mending is a perfect match. So the idea of mending as a creative expression just thrills me. I would love to break free of my 8th grade home ec teacher's wretched dictum about whether my sewing looking "home made" or "hand made." This book has been on my wish list since I saw it in Mollie Makes!

I can do simple mending, but was never taught how to mend properly. I sewed a button recently back onto a shirt for my husband that popped off the next time he wore it and I can't quite figure out how or why I failed there, but to this day it causes much laughter in our house.

I am a mender. Well, usually. Unless I find an item that really needs to ,um, disappear shall we say? The only mending I hate to do is replace a zipper. Congrats on the book Kristin, how lucky they are to have your beautiful work!!!

That looks like such an awesome book! I always have the best intentions to mend our clothes when a button pops off, or pants need to be made just a little bit shorter, but I never seem to get the mending done. I will need to learn, soon, though, because I'm getting a collection of hand-knit socks and I will NOT get rid of them over a little hole in the toe :-)

I mend depending on mood. Sometimes I go for decoration, like Rick-Rack or a clashing fabric. Sometimes I'll hem something shorter. Sometimes I just let holes live and stretch and be. And sometimes I leave the mending to my husband. The last is my favorite.

I have to mend - I'm mom to a very active little boy who goes through several clothing changes in one day! Sadly my skills, learned at my Brownie troop over 30 years ago, need some serious sharpening. I would love to see this awesome-looking book with your illustrations. Thanks for offering it!

I've always been a mender -- esp now that off the rack clothes are so poorly constructed. (I have a little pile to get to right now, as a matter of fact.) I learned basic mending from watching my grandmother, but I know that I could use a refresher. Plus, there are so many ways to be obvious about the mending that didn't used to be allowed. This book looks wonderful!

In my house, various things happen. We'll do simple repair work, such as sewing a button or fixing a hem or small hole. Some things become "Saturday clothes" for house cleaning, chores and so on. Old t-shirts get cut up into rags.

I've also mended a few knitted articles here and there. A friend asked me to repair a couple of sweaters that she acquired many years ago when she was traveling overseas. It was mostly seam repairs, although I did reknit the edge of two sleeves.

I have a beloved sweater that has holes at the elbows. One of these days, I'm going to try and repair it.

I try to mend and if I can't and it is a treasure, I put away hoping that the wisdom on how to fix it will come to me someday. It hasn't worked well and I don't recommend this to anyone. Maybe the book will help, I love what you did with the orange felt on the plaid blanket.

I mend, have mended and will mend. There are items I don't know how to mend, like my favorite sweatshirts with holes growing at the cuffs, but would love to learn. I like taking something lovingly worn and familiar and making it new again with a twist. Thank you for this opportunity! llmcguire38@yahoo.com

I'm the family mender! My daughter, a busy teacher, brings all of her family's mending to me--she'd staple a torn seam or tape up a hem, if I didn't fix things for them! I'm busy myself (a clergywoman) but I find it really satisfying to restore what's torn--guess that's a metaphor for much of my professional work, as well. Anyway, I have two wonderful grandaughters; the older one is 14--time she learned to do her own mending! The book would offer us some fun ways to explore handstitching together! She's already my knitting buddy... sherryschacht@yahoo.com

Mend? Before my mother died, I would bring items to her for hemming -- even though I lived a thousand miles away. Sew? Junior High home ec is the ONLY class where my mother actually did some of my homework. (I would still be mired in that class without my mother's pity.) Question: Can this book help such a person who actually would like to do a bit of sewing? If the answer is yet, put my name in the ring! :)

I do some small mending projects - sewing buttons back on, tacking a hem, darning hand knit socks - but, I would really love to learn more. Especially when it comes to the precious handmade things in my home - those are things I would never dream of throwing away, but am sometimes hesitant to use them due to disrepair (not wanting to damage them anymore).

I do mend, but the items can sit there for quite awhile before they get mended. I think the main reason is that I don't have my sewing machine sitting out and I have to be in the mood to get everything set up. I'm not sure what my excuse is for items that can be fixed by hand.

I have several pairs of jeans that are just so perfectly worn in, I won't let a little thing like 15 holes in them keep me from wearing them. So now they are more patch than jean - just the thing to wear to quilting class!

Yes, I mend. I love to mend. It is a creative challenge to fix a garment to give it a longer life in a way that can be totally invisible or, as you have done so well, with decorative ideas. I bring my sewing machine with me when I travel to my daughter's house and set up a mending station near the laundry and work my way through piles of clothes.

I mend when I need to, buttons and such, but I don't really know what I'm doing. I would love this book to learn how to do it right!And I love to reuse and repurpose, so this idea catches my interest. Bren_na on Ravelry

I sew, therefore I mend. I have also reused, renewed, remade and redone. I would like to learn how to darn socks; saved some of DH wool boot socks to practice on; they are toast anyway so I cannot ruin them. Want to do this as soon as I have six baby gifts completed. Sigh.

I love mending things, extending the life of something. When I was about 9 years old, my mom taught me how to mend socks, and I was so proud to use my grandmothers mending egg to do it. I'm not good at sewing (I can sew on a button and mend a seam that has come apart) but with three boys, even my rudimentary skills have come in handy. I don't mend socks now, unless, of course, it's one of my sister's precious handknit ones. But I mend jeans and shirts and even underwear. (Maybe it's also because I don't enjoy shopping! The longer something lasts, the longer I can put off shopping for a new one.)

About Me

I am an author and artist specializing in surface design including the disciplines of ceramics, textiles, needlework, knitwear, stitchery, and interior design. The thread that holds my work together is color and pattern. I live in western Massachusetts, USA in a 1751 farmhouse with my husband Mark and daughter Julia on a farm along with over 250 sheep, chickens, cats and dogs.

Copyright Kristin Nicholas 2006 - 2019

All words and photos are copyright by Kristin Nicholas. Please do not use my original photos or reprint my writing without asking me for permission. Please make sure you credit me as Photographer and link back to this blog. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to e-mail me - my contact info is on the left sidebar. Thank you!